In an excerpt of "The Test of Our Times" published today by ABC.com, Ridge recalls a meeting convened in October of 2004, not long after the airing of a tape from a top Al-Qaeda official and a month before the presidential election:

Participating were representatives from the intelligence community, the FBI, and the Departments of Justice, State, and Defense. A vigorous, some might say dramatic, discussion ensued. [Former Attorney General John] Ashcroft strongly urged an increase in the threat level, and was supported by [Former Secretary of Defense Donald] Rumsfeld. There was absolutely no support for that position within our department. None. I wondered, "Is this about security or politics?" Post-election analysis demonstrated a significant increase in the president's approval rating in the days after the raising of the threat level.

Now Ridge is seeking to calm a week-long media frenzy over his remarks. In an interview on ABC's "Good Morning America" – part of a publicity tour for the book – he said he was surprised that people "are hyperventilating... A consensus was reached. We didn't go up. The process worked," Ridge said. This is consistent with Ridge's previous remarks, and the excerpt from his book. There was a "lively" discussion, Ridge wrote, though the levels were never actually raised.

Fair enough. But one can hardly dangle a big, politically-divisive story in the front of a hungry press – and then act totally surprised when that story gets batted around the airwaves. As Mark Silva of the Swamp puts it, "This could either be a case of an overzealous publisher promoting a book, or a contrite author backpedaling from the written word once he's seen the reaction to it."

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